Kitty & Jubilee: The Witch Files
by Isodriel
Summary: Kitty and Jubilee experiment with a mysterious book, and it leads to surprising (and thrilling) events... (Switched from the X-Men movie category)
1. Part One: The Hunter and the Hunted

~ Kitty & Jubilee: The Witch Files ~ 

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**Part One:**

**_The Hunter and the Hunted_**

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".... and don't forget to hand your projects in next Monday. Class dismissed."

_Huh? _

Jubilation Lee blinked suddenly and jerked her head up from her arms, looking around blurrily. She had been asleep for the last half hour, and now suddenly she found the rest of the class clearing out of the room, gossiping excitedly amongst themselves. 

"What did you get? ... _really_? Awesome..."

"Aw, cool! A rebellion! All I got is dumb Henry the Sixth, I don't know a single thing about him..."

"_Napoleon? _Great, I just had to get the short French guy...."

"No, not Marc Anthony, _Mary Antoinette_ ... you know, that royal chick who had her head chopped off..."

_Oh, great, _Jubilee thought, groaning inwardly. _What did I miss this time? _

Jubilee silently cursed all the desks in the History classroom; why did they have to be so darn comfortable? They always managed to lure her into a nap ... although the desks in the Chemistry lab were pretty comfy too... 

"Oh, thank goodness, you regained consciousness." Kitty Pryde grinned and poked Jubilee playfully between the shoulder blades. "I was starting to think you had blacked out or something ... look, I did a really good sketch of you asleep..." Kitty held up a detailed portrait, drawn in pencil, of Jubilee slumped across her desk with her mouth open and her hair sticking out in a very unflattering way. 

"I see you even managed to capture the drool slipping out of my mouth; very flattering, Kit, I'm truly honored," Jubilee said sarcastically, getting up and following Kitty out of the classroom. 

"So, what project was Storm talking about?" Jubilee asked, as soon as they had come out into the crowded hall.

"_Miss Munroe_," Kitty said pointedly, reminding Jubilee to address the teachers properly, "paired us up and gave us all topics for a History assignment. Luckily, I volunteered to be your partner, or you would've been left out."

"Thanks, chica," Jubilee said, rewarding her friend with a smile. "So, what's our topic?"

Kitty pulled a paper out of her notepad and showed Jubilee the single line written in her neat, curly writing.

_"Witch hunting in the seventeenth century_? What, they were all out of bloody wars?"

Kitty raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. Instead, she suggested they visit the library and start looking for information, because, as she put it, "I don't think we've done much on witch hunting before."

"Yeah, but the _library_? Can't you just dig up something on the computer?" Personally, Jubilee thought the library was to be used only as a last resort; being seen in it might affect her social status, after all. 

"And what are you planning to do? Just sit around and --- _umph!_" 

**Smack. **

The next thing Kitty knew, she was smacked hard on the forehead by something very much like a speeding football; the books she was holding spilled onto the ground, along with loose notepapers that flew in all directions. 

"What the ---- oh, not again! _Guthrie!_" Jubilee glared at the golden-haired boy who suddenly appeared on the scene. "How many times, Guthrie? What, are you out to get her or something?"

"It was an accident," Samuel Guthrie muttered, trying to pick up some of Kitty's already trampled-over papers.

"Yeah, the _third _accident in a row. Gees – other guys send flowers, you send flying footballs," Jubilee muttered angrily, putting an arm around Kitty's shoulders. 

"Hey, cool down, Sparky. He said it was an accident."

Jubilee whipped around to face St. John Allerdyce, giving him her most piercing glare. "What did you call me?"  
"So now you need to get your ears checked, as well as your brain..." St. John drawled, enjoying the effect his words were having on Jubilee; she _hated _the name Sparky, and he knew it. For some reason, the two had never really hit it off, and although they weren't exactly enemies, one of them always managed to get on the other's nerves whenever they met.  

"Yeah, well, one more word out of you and I'll do more than just _check _your brain – I'll _mutilate _it. Capiche?" Jubilee hissed, glaring at the teenage flamethrower. St. John looked as if he was about to retaliate, but he was cut short when a hand was placed firmly on his shoulder.

"Come on, man, cool it. There was no harm done, anyway – right, Kitty?" Robert Drake said calmly, glancing at Kitty, who still had a throbbing red mark on her forehead. 

"Yes, I'm fine, thanks. Come on, Jubilee, let's go – the library, remember?" Kitty tugged the sleeve of Jubilee's yellow leather jacket and picked up the last of her papers from the floor.

"Look, Kitty, I'm really sorry –" Sam started, running a hand through his hair. 

"It's okay, Sam. Just ... just make sure that football flies in the right direction, okay?" Kitty said, trying to ignore the sharp pain in her head. 

"Yeah, sure." Sam grinned and walked off with Bobby and St. John; St. John had been glaring coldly at Jubilee (who had been glaring equally as coldly at _him_), but he slowly removed his gaze and headed off with the other two without another word. 

"_Phew_. Now that we've got rid of the Three Stooges, maybe we should go get something to eat," Jubilee said, grinning as her stomach rumbled at the end of her sentence. 

"Honestly, Jubilee, not all of them are all that bad... I mean, Sam's okay, and so is Bobby – and St. John is –"

"Hush! Don't mention that spawn of Satan when I'm around, chica. It makes me want to kick something," Jubilee said, darkly. 

"_Spawn of Satan_?" Kitty fought back a laugh and raised her eyebrows. "Where did you get that?"  
"I dunno," Jubilee said, shrugging. "But it fits. Anyway, what about grabbing lunch?"

"Okay – we'll just grab a quick snack, and then we _have _to get to the library; I'll do a computer search later, if we need any additional information."  

Jubilee rolled her eyes and linked her arm comfortably with Kitty's. "How much information do we need? _In the seventeenth century, a whole lot of people got burned just 'cause a bunch of loonies said they were witches_. Period." 

"Somehow, I think it'll be more interesting than that..." Kitty said thoughtfully. 

She had no idea how very right she would turn out to be ...  

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Author's Note: Short chapter, I know, but it's going to get real interesting from here on... ;-) 

Anyway, feel free to post your opinions – I totally and utterly love reviews, even silly ones (although, like any other writer, I'd appreciate _civilized _reviews – you don't have to like the fic, but you don't have to flame it to a crisp, either. Be fair, people :-)

And I'm planning on having the rest of the X-Men in the next chapter, in case you're wondering. I could never, _ever_ leave Logan out of a fic, but I can do with leaving out Rogue a little... Oh, and in this story, there is no Marie. Only Rogue. See, I think of Marie as this sweet and innocent little mutant who could never bear the name _Rogue _or act anything like a rogue... On the other hand, the brassy, Southern belle, comic-and-TV-series- Rogue I know and love is the one I think of as the _real _Rogue, which means that she fits in with the older X-Men, not Kitty and Jubilee. Just wanted to clear that up :-) 

-Engima- 

  
  



	2. Part Two: Book of Shadows

Author's Note: Okay, I just wanted to include a little note in here about all the witchcraft, spells, magical information, etc, that's going to follow from this chapter onwards. Everything magical (or magickal, according to your taste :-) in this fic is _made up_ by _moi_ (with a little help from some very helpful internet sites) so I don't want to offend any Wiccans or make anyone believe that any of this stuff is official witchcraft, because it _is not_. It's all just stuff I pieced together from the net and added my own imagination to, but it seems to be a good blend. (That's actually for you to decide, not me, but whatever. ;-) 

And please keep those reviews coming, even if you're just stopping by and don't think you haveall that much to say. (Every _positive _opinion counts, after all :-)

~ Kitty & Jubilee: The Witch Files ~ 

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**Part Two:**

**_Book of Shadows_**

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".... And look at this!"

"Ew, Jubes, I just ate..."

"_Ew_ is right, girl... Oh, look at this, it _so_ utterly gross...."

"Oh, god, I can't take this any more." Kitty snapped shut a heavy, crisp book with the title, _"The Sufferings of Witches of Old" _inscribed in thick black letters on the front. Jubilee, following suite, slammed _"The Pains and Prosecutions of Pagans" _onto the table and heaved a deep sigh. Both books were very informative, but slightly harsher than the girls would have liked (the detailed, gruesome portrait of a witch being impaled on a gleaming pike, for example, was enough to make Jubilee lose her lunch). 

"Can you believe this? Hours and hours of looking through gross pictures, and we've got nothing. _Nothing_." Jubilee said, looking around at the books scattered across the round table. She and Kitty were practically the only people in the library, and the silence of the room, combined with the horrid descriptions in the books, was starting to seem eerie. They had gathered a few notes on paper, but there was hardly enough to write an assignment on. 

"I think it's time we head back up. We'll bring some of the books with us, and read them through later," Kitty said, rubbing her eyes. Jubilee nodded, stifling a yawn, and started randomly shoving the books back into the shelves. 

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Jubilee tried to concentrate on the miniscule letters on the crisp white page of the book, but she just couldn't suppress a long yawn. Kitty had already fallen asleep halfway through a harrowing description of mob-lynching, and her soft breathing was almost the only thing that could be heard in the small, snug room. The room Jubilee and Kitty shared was like two separate bedrooms in one; on Kitty's side, everything was neat and orderly, with a clean, fresh feeling about it; on Jubilee's side, posters covered most of the walls, clothes were strewn over the floor and junk food was stuffed in the most unexpected places – the junk food was Jubilee's "in case of emergency" stock (her kind of emergency, incidentally, meant having to live for more than two days without junk food, chewing gum or soda). But although they had their differences, the two girls made excellent roommates – it was simply a case of opposites attracting. 

 Jubilee made one final effort to concentrate on the page she was reading, and some of the words momentarily came together. 

_"Most magic is safe and relatively harmless, especially the more modern practices of witchcraft, found in books and magazines on Wicca and other new Pagan religions. But the more extreme forms of the Craft still exist; they are contained in such ancient volumes as The Book of Shadows, or _Caudex Umbra_, a book supposedly containing powerful hexes, curses, incantations and spells written down long ago by an ancient coven of witches (The Sisterhood of _Umbra_). The Book of Shadows comes in many forms, and traditionally bears no title, as its name was given to it by olden witches who knew very little of the scripture itself; but it is easily recognized by the symbol printed against the cover, depicting two intertwining snakes; a silver snake, with ruby eyes, and a black snake, with jade eyes, representing the bonding of the two opposing forces of white and black magic."_

Jubilee blinked and stared at the page; although her mind was slightly blurred from weariness, it slowly started to click. _It is easily recognizable by the symbol printed against the cover, usually depicting two intertwining snakes_... Snakes? Why did that seem vaguely familiar?... _a silver snake ... and a black snake ... _

Jubilee suddenly gasped and sat up, shaking off her weariness in the blink of an eye; with a jerk of her hand, she grabbed a book from among the pile on the floor and heaved it onto her bed. The book was large, heavy and bound with a smooth black leather that seemed to gleam in the lamplight, despite being worn and faded. The book had no visible title on the front or back; instead, a single symbol was engraved on the cover. Jubilee sat and stared at the symbol for a long time; now it suddenly dawned on her why the book's description had seemed so familiar to her. She was now staring at two intertwining animals ---- a black and a silver snake, both with glittering, bright eyes that seemed transfixed on her, as if staring at her from beneath a great depth. 

So there, in her hands, sat _Caudex Umbra_... 

The Book of Shadows. 

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"Wow..." Kitty slowly turned a page, her eyes fixed on the elaborately decorated writing, inscribed in dark letters against the faded, yellowing paper.  

"I _know_," Jubilee said, enthusiastically. "And the things in there aren't the same old 'eye of newt' rubbish... I mean, every time you turn the page, there's something new – last night, I found the most incredible curse - I think it gave another person temporary blindness or something..."

Kitty glanced up from the page and smiled, raising her eyebrows. "Oh, come on, Jubilee, you don't honestly believe in this stuff... It's all very interesting, I'll grant you that, but it won't exactly help us with the assignment..." 

Jubilee waved a hand impatiently, as if to say that the assignment wasn't even worth thinking about. "Chica, this the chance of a lifetime! Look, I don't know how we got hold of this book – Jean would never buy anything like this on purpose – but maybe, just maybe, some of the stuff in here _does _work. Just think of all the things we could do!"

Kitty still looked skeptical, but she just shrugged. "Well, we have Chemistry to get to, anyway; we can take a look at this thing later."

"No, not Chemistry!" Jubilee moaned, allowing herself to be dragged down the hallway by Kitty. 

"Chemistry isn't exactly torture, Jubilee. It could be worse," Kitty pointed out, remembering the gruesome witch-hunts. 

"Well, I might survive...." Jubilee grumbled,  "Just as long as we don't have ----"

"A review." Jean Grey smiled grimly as a universal moan rose from her students. "Yes, I know most of you feel that it is a waste of time, but I'm going to review anyway - starting with molecules. If you would all just turn to page three hundred and fifteen in your textbooks..." 

Kitty was the only one who didn't moan; she was too busy sketching the head of Sam Guthrie, who was sitting at the desk in front of her, next to St. John and Bobby. Sam was bent over something on his desk, but Kitty still had a pretty good view of his face, which she carefully copied down on paper, with her unique touch added here and there. Usually, she would be paying close attention to the teacher, especially in Chem class, but reviews were usually long, boring and relatively useless, so she, like the rest of the class, directed her energies elsewhere. She was just perfecting Sam's eyes when she suddenly saw St. John lean over to look at whatever Sam was writing. St. John grinned, gave a long, low whistle and glanced back at Kitty, grinning wider as Sam shifted in his seat, looking guilty.

"What's up with them?" Jubilee asked, noticing St. John's whistle. 

"I don't know, but Sam doesn't look too happy," Kitty answered, watching Sam mutter something rapidly under his breath to St. John; but John, who didn't seem to be listening, suddenly snatched the paper from Sam's desk and tossed it so that it skidded across Kitty's desk and landed right under her nose. Jubilee yanked it away without a moment's hesitation, looked the paper over and let her eyebrows shoot up dramatically. 

"Whoa..." 

"What? Jubilee, what does it say?" Kitty asked, curious. Jubilee looked as if she was repressing either a giggle or a frown, but she handed the paper over without saying anything. 

What Kitty saw was surprisingly detailed picture of herself; every strand of hair lay in just the right place, tucked behind one ear like she usually had it, and the sketched face was a mirror image of her real one. What surprised her was the fact that the picture looked as if it had been done up very carefully, as if someone had spent a lot of time on it. 

"It's ... me." Kitty finally managed to say, staring at the paper.

"Yup. I think Guthrie's been keeping a really close eye on you lately," Jubilee said, giggling at the thought of Sam affectionately sketching Kitty's portrait. 

Kitty kept silent. She was watching Sam's face for any traces of embarrassment, but his attention seemed to be firmly fixed on Jean, who was discussing an experiment they did in the first term. 

When the bell finally rang to signal the end of class, Kitty discreetly dropped her picture of Sam on his desk on her way out. 

After all, she might as well pay him back for the nice portrait. 

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Author's Note: Yes, I know, another incredibly short chapter. But hey, a little patience makes a big difference. (That saying makes a great excuse for plain old laziness :-) So, what do you think? Does Kitty care for Sam? Does Sam care for Kitty? What's happening between St. John and Jubilee? 

Hmm... Questions, questions.... Well, there's only one way to find the answers. Review, and I'll post more :-) 

I know I said I would include the other X-Men in here, but I've realized that this is a Kitty & Jubilee fic (big _duuuh_), so it should be mostly from their point of view, which means I have to cut off most of the other X-Men (for now, anyway). Hopefully, though, I'll be able to slide them in soon. And thanks to those four great people who reviewed, I really appreciate it :-) 

-Enigma-


	3. Part Three: Between Love and Hate

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Author's Note: Okay, this chapter doesn't have all that much to do with witchcraft – it's more of a romance-related chapter (between who and who, I'll leave you to guess... ;-) but I'll make up for it with a major amount of magic in the next chapter. And hey, I just discovered that Jubilee officially has blue eyes (don't know why I said that, but it just seems interesting – you know, her being Asian and all :-) 

And again, a big thanx to the reviewers! Y'all are just too sweet (*blushes*) 

~ Kitty & Jubilee: The Witch Files ~ 

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**Part Three:**

**_Between Love and Hate_**

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"Did you hear?" Kitty asked eagerly, rushing into the bedroom, where Jubilee was busy reading a magazine. Unfortunately, Kitty forgot to use the door and instead came bursting through the wall, smoothly penetrating the solid wood.

"Whoa! Kit, don't do that!" Jubilee cried, in a strangely muffled voice. 

"Jubilee?" Suddenly, Kitty couldn't see her anymore. "Jubes? Where are you?"

"Down here!" Jubilee's voice shouted, in the same muffled way. Kitty found her on the other side of her bed, squashed between the bed, the wall and a pillow. 

"What are you doing down there?" Kitty asked, impatiently. 

"I dunno – felt like taking a nap?" Jubilee said sarcastically, while Kitty pulled her up. "Look, Kit, I don't mind your powers or anything – it's just that you scared the hell out of me. Knock next time, please?"

"Sure." Kitty smiled briefly. "But anyway, did you hear?"  
"Hear about what?"

"Well, some students wanted to have a dance –" 

Here Jubilee interrupted with a loud groan; she _hated _dances. 

"- before the Halloween one, because that one's ages away." Kitty continued, ignoring Jubilee. "So, Professor Xavier is letting us have a dance next Saturday! And you know what the best part is?"

"No. I don't know what the best part is." Jubilee said, in a voice that clearly showed how much she didn't _want _to know the best part. 

"We're having a _masquerade_!" 

_"No!"_ With a dramatic cry, Jubilee stage-fainted onto the bed. "Oh, the horror! The pain! Oh, the – _ow_!"

Kitty had just smacked her across the head with her pillow. "Stop being so silly, Jubilee. It's just one dance. And besides, I had more to say."

"Oh, great..." Jubilee muttered, but not loud enough for Kitty to hear. She didn't feel like being attacked by fluffy artillery again.

"_Anyway_, the long and short of it is, we're supposed to re-paint one of the old large parlors on the top floor and turn it into an authentic ballroom!"

"_Ballroom?_" Jubilee had to try really hard not to sound disgusted. 

"Yeah, didn't I tell you? The whole masquerade was supposed to have a nineteen-twenties feel to it; you know, girls wear boas, long sequined dresses and those round hats, and guys wear old-fashioned suits and tailcoats ... Jubilee, are you listening?"

"Nope. I'm too busy plotting ways to run away from the school." Jubilee muttered, this time loud enough for Kitty to hear.  

"Anyway, like I said, it was _supposed_ to have a twenties feel to it, but now we've just decided to let people dress up as anyone from the past. And we needed volunteers to paint the ballroom, so I signed you up." Kitty finished brightly, brandishing a volunteer paper.  

"Whoopee for me. Kitty, you don't honestly think I'm going to this masquerade thing, do you? I mean, I'll help you paint and all, but I won't go. No way." 

Kitty didn't reply, but she did smile a very small, snug smile. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe you'll change your mind..."

Jubilee didn't bother to ask what she was talking about – she'd probably find out soon enough. 

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"Betsy, you go paint with Warren. Alicia! – no, Alicia, the _other_ wall – no, don't bother to change it now..." Scott Summers sighed and vigorously ran a hand through his hair, trying to shake off his recent stress. 

"Kitty! Just the person I'm looking for!" He said, suddenly spotting Kitty and Jubilee, who had just come in. "Could you please go help Sam with his painting? I think he's having some trouble –"

**Crash. **

Scott didn't even bother to turn around. He knew that noise – Sam had knocked over yet another can of paint. 

"Like I said," he continued, with a sigh, "he's having some trouble." 

Kitty repressed a giggle and mock-saluted to Scott. "I'm on it, chief." 

Jubilee watched helplessly as Kitty skipped off with an encouraging wave, and she was left standing with Scott. 

"Okay, Jubilee, you can paint with..." Scott consulted a list he had put on his clipboard, ".... St. John."

_"What?"_

_"What?" _

Two indignant _what_'s exploded from both Jubilee and St. John, who was leaning against a wall and watching Bobby hammer some nails in strategic places, to hang decorations on. 

"You heard me. Now, whatever issues you two have, just work it out," Scott said, seeing them glare at each other.  
"But, Cyc – I mean, Mr. Summers - come on, _anybody_ but him –" 

"No, Jubilee." Scott said, in a stern tone that clearly meant business. "You two are the only ones who don't have partners." He handed her a can of orange paint, two plastic trays and two rollers. "The two of you can get started on the inside room, no one's done that yet. We're going to use it as a supply room."

_Great. So now I'm painting the supply room with Allerdyce. Can this get any worse? _

"Hey, Sparky. Is that a new head of hair, or was it always this shaggy?" 

"Yeah, well, at least I don't look like something the cat dragged in. Set anything on fire lately?" 

Actually, Jubilee was little off when it came to teasing St. John about his looks – if anything, he looked cuter than the last time she saw him. His ear-long blonde hair was tucked back loosely, leaving a few stray strands hanging around his eyes, and the red sweater he was wearing made a very good job of displaying his chest while showing the smooth, lean ripples of his arms where the sleeves were rolled up. Besides that, he had always been singularly handsome, but she had never really noticed it before.

"_This _is the supply room?" St. John surveyed the room in disbelief; the walls were all white and bare, the room was far larger than he had expected and they were only two people. It was going to take forever. 

"We might as well get started. The sooner we start, the sooner we finish – and then I can get away from you. I just hope there aren't any matches lying around..." 

St. John shot her a glare, but silently took his roller, spread some paint on one of the trays and started working on "his end". Jubilee started on the opposite end, as far away from him as possible. Newspaper had already been spread on the floor, so that they wouldn't have to worry about spilling. After a while, Jubilee gradually got into the rhythm of rolling the paint up and down the wall; she didn't even notice St. John any more. 

Of course, that was before he started whistling. 

"Could you _please _stop doing that?" Jubilee said finally, after listening to about three minutes of annoying whistling. 

"Doing what?" St. John asked, feigning innocence and continuing to whistle a little louder. 

"Stop it!"

"Make me."

"Don't make me hurt you," Jubilee warned.

"Really? And how are you planning on doing that?" St. John taunted. 

"Oh, I don't know... Maybe using _this_." Jubilee brandished the roller menacingly. 

"You wouldn't dare."

"Oh, like _you_ would?" 

"Yes, actually, I would."

"I'd like to see that." 

"Fine." The next moment, St. John had picked up his roller, dipped it, and flicked it hard, flecking Jubilee's pink T-shirt with orange (she had taken off her yellow leather jacket). 

"Oh!" Jubilee gasped, took one glance at her T-shirt and marched straight up to St. John, gripping her roller.   
"So, what are you going to do, Sparky? Threaten me to death?" St. John asked, laughing. Jubilee smiled grimly and suddenly printed the roller onto St. John's forehead, leaving a wide strip of orange paint on his skin. Now it was her turn to laugh – and she did it very energetically, pointing to St. John's branded forehead and clutching her stomach.  

"Okay, that is _it_!" St. John grinned devilishly and dipped his whole hand into the paint tray, advancing dangerously on Jubilee, who had suddenly stopped laughing. 

"Hey, that was payback!" She protested, backing away. "You can't just – _ah_!" 

With a loud thud, both teenagers fell onto the floor; their legs had become tangled in a pile of bunched-up newspaper just waiting to trip them over, and Jubilee had managed to fall head first over St. John. 

At first, all she could do was lie there, rubbing her head where it had hit the ground; but then a sudden idea struck Jubilee and she took advantage of St. John's position by comfortably straddling his hips.

"A ha! My turn now!" She declared, waving her roller in front of his face. St. John, however, was too busy being shocked to actually respond. _Of all positions, she just had to choose this one,_ he thought, suddenly very aware of the way her body was close enough to radiate warmth. Glancing upwards, he realized that there wasn't really anything wrong with Jubilee's looks... slightly almond-shaped, dark blue eyes, glossy raven hair, smooth peach skin and lush crimson lips that very easily twisted into a spicy, teasing smile... _Oh, god, I'm thinking about her lips... _But then again... Well, he only teased Jubilee for fun; there wasn't really anything wrong with her....

Jubilee was halfway through another declaration of victory when she suddenly noticed the strong, searching look St. John was giving her. Now she started to regret ever going near him; it was starting to do funny things to her pulse... 

"Hey, you're supposed to act defeated!" she protested, but her lighthearted tone was a little more forced now. When St. John didn't reply, but kept giving her that look – that look she was really starting to hate, the one that was thrilling every nerve in her body – Jubilee grew even more uncomfortable. 

Silently reaching up with one hand, St. John pried the roller from Jubilee's hand and put it aside, all the while keeping his eyes fixed on her. Then, slowly - too slowly – he straightened his back a little, ran one hand along the collar of her shirt and pulled her head down gently, so that her face was inclined only inches from his. 

All the while, Jubilee's pulse wasn't the only thing in her that was racing; it was as if someone had stopped time, and her body was the only thing still moving. Her heart was pounding furiously and her skin was tingling in expectancy – he now had the total control to tease or please her; but either way, she was going crazy.

St. John hesitated only for half a second before bringing his mouth to hers in a warm, melting kiss that sent ripples along his skin. Jubilee had suddenly lost track of what she was thinking; she lost track of the time, and of where she was and who she was with – all that seemed to matter was to keep the contact between their mouths going. He speeded up a little, pressing against his lips against hers a little more forcefully, running the tip of his tongue against her lips insistently. With a sigh, Jubilee gently parted her lips and met his kiss with as much energy as she could muster, having barely any control over herself. 

But then, a small voice somewhere inside the back of her head awoke; it was the voice that was always telling her to study more, to stay away from the cigarettes some of the other students smoked, to cheer up when she would rather mope. It was that voice, that part of her, that she always listened to. 

_What are you doing? What are you letting him do to you? Silly girl, you've heard of this before; handsome guys who snake-charm girls like you into physical contact... You don't really love him. You hate him, remember?_

But oh, she didn't want to hate him! Just then, when he eased his hands over her back and let them run along her shoulders, rushing warmth to her skin, she wanted anything other than to hate him. 

_And he doesn't love you – he doesn't even care for you! What would Kitty say? What would you think of yourself, every time you look in the mirror? Have you no self-respect? _

Finally, gathering every ounce of determination she had, Jubilee broke her mouth away from his and eased his hands off her back. St. John gave her a half-puzzled, half-exasperated look, questioning her with his eyes. 

Jubilee shook her head and got up slowly, disengaging her legs from his. 

"What's wrong?" The mildly confused, almost disappointed tone was so unlike him that Jubilee couldn't believe it was the same person that she used to hate so much. 

"Nothing, I just... I can't do this, okay?" Jubilee paused, on the verge of explaining everything – but then she decided against it. So, picking up her jacket, she left without another word. 

St. John got up slowly, thinking hard. Jubilee's strange behavior puzzled him – what had he done wrong? He was almost sure she was as willing as he was, so what was keeping her back? 

Jubilee was waiting for Kitty in the room when she came back from painting; Kitty found her sitting cross-legged on the floor with something in front of her. 

"Jubes, what are you doing?" Kitty asked. Jubilee slowly held up the book in front of her, and Kitty realized that it was the Book of Shadows. 

"Kit, I need your help."

"With what?" 

Jubilee flipped over to the page she had been reading: "_Blanditia Amotionis: The Attraction Removal Spell" _ 

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Author's Note:  Ha ha! Another finished chapter! (And this time it was three pages – a new record!) 

Oooh, tension is building... How are St. John and Jubilee going to act towards each other after this? And will the Attraction Removal Spell work? The only way you can find out is - (yes, you guessed it!) - _review_!!

Oh, and all Latin here is very roughly translated (for example, I used _blanditia_, which means attraction, and _amotion_, meaning removal, and mixed them) so please forgive any little mistakes :-) 

And finally, we're going to have some spellcasting – woohoo! 


	4. Part Four: Preparations and Rituals

~ Kitty & Jubilee: The Witch Files ~

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**Part Four: **

**_Preparations and Rituals_**

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"Are you sure about this?" Kitty asked, for about the umpteenth time. "Are you _absolutely _sure?"

Jubilee had told her all about what happened with St. John, and after a thousand pleas and a few well-placed threats, Kitty had finally given in and promised to help her perform the Attraction Removal Spell – but she still had her doubts.

"_Yes_, Kit, I am absolutely and utterly sure. This weird thing I have for St. John _has _to go." Jubilee said, firmly. 

"But I've been reading up on this, and the Attraction Removal Spell works on a very high level, Jubilee – and we're not even minor spellcasters yet, how can we possibly perform a spell from the Book of Shadows?" 

"Wait a minute – we're not even minor _what _yet?" 

"There are nine stages of witchcraft, Jubilee," Kitty explained, ticking them off on her fingers. "First you become a minor spellcaster, then a major spellcaster, then an apprentice, then a diviner, _then _a witch – since it's the middle stage, most witches stop there, but there's also a master witch, mystic, enchantress and  - the top level - a sorceress. But it's extremely hard to reach the last stage; very few witches – only about five percent – ever make it to become a sorceress." 

"So, what stage are you supposed to be on to use the Book of Shadows?"

"Well, as far as I can work out, you have to be a mystic or higher."

"Oh." Jubilee pondered this for a moment, but then she just shook her head impatiently. "But it can't be all that hard to do – I mean, rabble a few weird words, cackle a couple of times, add some smoke and glitter and presto, you've got yourself some magic."  

"I'm not sure that's the way it works, but I'll tell you what. I'll help you perform the spell tonight, and it should take effect by tomorrow, just in time for the masquerade." 

The masquerade was now only four days away, and most students had already bought their costumes. Kitty and Jubilee, however, were planning on shopping for their costumes with Rogue, Ororo and Jean the next day. 

"Tonight? Why not now?" Jubilee asked; she was impatient to get the spell in motion – and besides, she was looking forward to doing some real magic.

Kitty had already written half of the History assignment, and Jubilee was supposed to finish the other half, but she had become too involved in actual witchcraft to care much about old witch-hunts that happened several hundred years ago.

"I have a study date with Sam," Kitty explained, blushing lightly. "I think he's going to ask me to the masquerade, and I wanted us to be alone..." 

"You _think_ he'll ask you, or you _hope_ he'll ask you?" Jubilee asked slyly. Kitty frowned and smacked her lightly on the shoulder, but looked pleased all the same. She definitely wouldn't object if Sam happened to ask her to the masquerade, but there was no way Jubilee was about to hear that. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Okay, let's see here... Coil of anointed rope."

"Check."

"Crimson candles."

"Check."

"Something representing the object of your affection – oh, sorry – repulsion."

"Check. I managed to snag one of his hairs."

"Bowl, dry herbs, dagger – oh, sorry, I mean kitchen knife – and something representing yourself."

"Check, check and check; I'll just – ow! – pull out one of my hairs." Jubilee yanked out one of her raven hairs and added it to the pile of spell ingredients in the center. The two girls were sitting, cross-legged, in a circle formed by the rope and surrounded by crimson candles that flickered with a glowing light against the darkness of the room; between the girls sat the Book of Shadows, facing Kitty, and a black bowl full of dried herbs. 

"The writing here is _very_ old-fashioned, so I had to translate – it might be little off, but this should work." Kitty said, in a strangely low, quiet voice that only seemed fitting to the occasion. She held up the dagger (or, more precisely, the kitchen knife) and pointed it straight in front of her, supposedly facing the North. 

"Guardians of the North, sacred spirit of Earth; we invite you to join or circle," she repeated, in a clear, strong voice. Then she turned to the right so that the dagger was facing east. 

"Guardians of the East, sacred spirit of Air; we invite you to join our circle." Kitty did the same thing for the guardians of South, sacred spirit of Fire, and the guardians of West, sacred spirit of Water. Every time she called on a new spirit, Jubilee would try (on Kitty's instructions) to visualize the element; for example, for North, she envisioned tall, misty mountains and wild jungles, concentrating so hard that she could almost feel the spirit of Earth slip in between the candles and hover above the circle. Now Kitty peered at the book, and started to recite a slightly edited version of the Attraction Removal spell, in the same clear, resounding voice. 

_"Love can be blessing, love can be bliss, _

_but for us, Goddess, it is none of this; _

_It is unhappiness and pain, shame and regret; _

_Unhealthy spirits that cannot forgive or forget._

_The bond between two hearts should no longer be,_

_So we call on the Lord and the Lady with a plea:_

_Break the attraction, sever the bond –_

_Spirit of love, we renounce thee – begone!"_

As she spoke, Kitty dropped one of St. John's golden hairs into the black bowl. Jubilee, while repeating the spell, dropped one of her own hairs into the bowl. She then picked up the spare candle that had been lit and placed next to her; and, without a moment's hesitation, ran the candle flame over the herbs, setting them on fire. 

As they watched the herbs crackle and send up aromatic wisps of smoke, Jubilee and Kitty repeated together the spell until the flames had almost died down. 

"Is that it?" Jubilee whispered, looking into the dry, black and faintly smoking herbs. She sure didn't feel any different. 

"I think so." Kitty whispered back. "We just have to send the spirits back and thank them for joining us in the circle."

They did so and methodically blew out each candle in the circle, thus ending the spell. 

Now they could only wait and see... 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

"Now, make sure you don't run it too fast, I just had the engine fixed – and don't slam the breaks, just ease them in gently. Oh, and –"

"Scott, _we know_," Jean interrupted mildly, giving her boyfriend a kiss on the cheek. 

"Yeah, let's get a move on, y'all. Ah'm gettin' impatient," Rogue called. Scott was standing on the front porch of the institute, watching while Ororo, Jean, Rogue, Kitty and Jubilee settled into the new scarlet convertible Scott had lent them for the occasion (with a lot of persuasion from Jean, of course). Jean was driving, Ororo was in the passenger seat and Rogue, Kitty and Jubilee were all in the backseat (although Rogue was actually half-standing in a dangerous position which would usually have been hindered by the roof). 

Waving to an anxious-looking Scott, Jean revved up the engine and roared down the street, leaving a trail of smoke (and a very worried boyfriend) behind. 

The ride to the mall was a wild one, since Rogue and Jubilee kept waving their arms and whooping, and not even Jean could stop the convertible from moving faster than any other car on the street. As a result, the girls practically flew to the mall and reached it in about five minutes. 

"So, have any of you decided on your costumes yet?" Jean asked, as they passed several interesting-looking clothes shops (none of which sold costumes).

"Ah'm goin' as Little Bo Peep." Rogue said firmly; she was the only one in the group who already had her costume – she was just shopping for a few accessories, she said. 

"Little Bo Peep? Whatever induced you to that?" Ororo asked, with a trace of amusement in her voice. 

Rogue shrugged. "Ah don't know. Ah just felt like tryin' somethin' different for once. What about you, Jean?" 

"I'm going as a Native American," Jean stated, surprising them all. 

"You're going as an _indian_?" Jubilee tried very hard to suppress a giggle. "Why?"

"Because Scott's going as a cowboy." The faintest of blushes lit Jean's features. "We wanted to match, sort of." 

"A _cowboy_?" This time, Jubilee actually did burst into some hearty giggles. 

"So, what're you two going as?" Rogue asked, poking Jubilee in the ribs to stop her giggling. 

"We haven't really thought anything out yet," Kitty replied. She suddenly stopped and nudged Ororo, who was the closest person to her. 

"Hey, look – maybe we could find something in there." They all looked towards where Kitty was pointing and a saw a small, snug, out-of-the way store displaying a hairy gorilla costume, a silvery space suit and a wide variety of other costumes and masks. The name of the store, _Nancy's_, was put in curly golden letters on a sign hanging above the door; not much was visible was beyond the window display, but the inside of the store looked quiet and fairly empty. 

"Well, I don't see why we can't go look around," Ororo said, and Kitty pulled Jubilee along to the shop; Jubilee wasn't all too eager, since she was still firmly holding onto the _"I'm not going to the masquerade at all but I just felt like shopping, so I came along"_ excuse. 

The shop was dimly lit and, like it looked on the outside, snugly small; racks of costumes were scattered across the room, and wigs and masks in assorted varieties were pinned up on the walls. 

"Just what ah'm lookin' for!" Rogue exclaimed suddenly after about five minutes of browsing. She picked up a white and pink bonnet and examined it closely; after making sure it was just perfect, she handed it to Jean, who was paying for everything with a school credit card. 

Jean and Ororo wandered off into a section that seemed especially devoted to the Wild West, while Kitty and Jubilee headed off into a different direction. 

"Oh! Look at this!" Kitty exclaimed, suddenly spotting a dress and pulling it off the rack. It was a long, sleeveless, sequined scarlet dress with a lacy trim at the bottom. A matching red headband with a red feather attached to it was tagged to the dress; the outfit looked just like the sort of thing women in the nineteen twenties wore.

"Kitty, that would be _perfect _for you! You could still go with the whole twenties thing, and you'd look really hot in that..." 

"Hot? But... Oh, come on, Jubilee, I'm not the hot type..." Kitty muttered, suddenly uncertain. 

"Don't be ridiculous, Kit, it's a masquerade – you can be any type you want!" 

Jubilee managed to persuade Kitty into asking the price of the dress from a girl standing behind the counter; she was a young girl of about eighteen years, with raven black curls and intelligent silvery violet eyes that twinkled from behind raven bangs. 

"Oh, that one's a personal favorite. I'll give it to you for... let's see... ten dollars?" The girl said, after a moment's thought.

"Ten dollars? _Only_?" Kitty asked, slightly surprised. Usually, classic costumes were very expensive; or at least, they were in the larger, more fancy stores. 

"Yeah, well, you caught me in a good mood." The girl grinned. "My aunt owns the store, but I'm taking over temporarily; I'm sure she won't mind me cutting down a few prices."

"Well, thanks, anyway." Jubilee said, nudging Kitty and mouthing: "See? I told you so – perfect!" 

The girl half glanced at Jubilee, looked away nonchalantly, and then suddenly took a second look at her. 

"Um, I just wanted to ask --- have you bought your costume yet?" She asked, taking in Jubilee's whole figure with one swift look.  

"Who? Me? No, not really - but I don't need one." Jubilee said, hurriedly.

"Oh, that's a shame..." 

"A shame? Why?" Kitty asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. 

"Well... Could I just show you something?" The girl asked, eagerly. "It won't take half a minute."  

"Sure, I don't see why no--–" Before Jubilee had even finished the sentence, the girl had pulled her away towards a few solitary racks at the very back of the store. She led the way to a figure-shaped stand covered by a dark drape. With one swift yank, the girl had pulled off the drape and, for a moment, screened the stand from view as she pulled something off it. 

"This," she said, moving behind Jubilee, "is something I've always wanted to see someone wear, but I've never really found the right person. Close your eyes." 

Jubilee, bewildered, did as she was told, and felt something being slipped off her shoulders (her jacket, by the feel of it) while something else was draped over her chest. Jubilee heard Kitty gasp next to her and she squinted her eyes open, only to be met by an incredible sight reflected on the full-length mirror in front of her.

She was looking at herself, and yet not herself; the girl had put a dress against her figure, to show what it would look like if it was worn – and it just happened to be one of the most beautiful dresses Jubilee had ever seen. The deep, navy blue silk set off her eyes beautifully, and the silver lace trimmings and silver rose-pattern running along the waist and hem of the full skirt were of an elaborate, old-fashioned kind that easily caught the eyes. 

"Wow... And you're not even wearing it yet, Jubilee..." Kitty breathed, admiringly. The girl nodded, obviously pleased with the result. 

"And with some long curls – extensions, of course – here and there, and maybe a little jewelry and makeup, you could turn into a real lady." But then the girl sighed heavily, shaking her head. "But if you're sure you don't want it..."

"It's... it's beautiful... But I couldn't possibly afford it - and besides, it's not really my kind of thing..." Jubilee murmured, running one hand along the smooth silk skirt.   

"Hey, remember what you told me? You can be any type you want - that's what masquerades are _for_!" Kitty said, grinning. 

"You're going to a masquerade? Oh, I've always wanted to go to one of those things – you should go, girl. And don't worry about the price... This one's for free."

"For _free_? Isn't your aunt going to mind?" 

"Nah, she won't worry. She only keeps this place as a hobby; her husband's very, um, "well off", if you get my drift...."    

Jubilee finally agreed to take the dress, being drawn to it naturally, and the girl wrapped it and Kitty's dress up for them (it would be better if they kept the dresses as a surprise, she said).

"So, if your aunt owns the store, she must be Nancy, right?" Kitty asked, while the girl wrapped up the dresses.

"Yup. My name's Isobel, by the way."

"Kitty."  
"Jubilee." 

It was one of those quick, casual introductions that never really led to anything much, but all three girls threw in a smile anyway.

"Kitty? Jubilee? Oh, here you are. So, have you got your costumes?"

Jean, Ororo and Rogue appeared behind them, all holding something; Rouge, her pink bonnet, Jean, a traditional Native American knee-length dress and feather hairband and Ororo, a lacy white blouse of the kind a female pirate would wear, a pair of old-fashioned trousers and an eye patch.

"So you're going for the pirate princess look, right?" Isobel commented, glancing at Ororo as she took the costumes. 

"Yes, that was just what I was thinking of. Standing on the deck of a mighty ship..."

"....with your sword flashing in the lightning, and the dark waves billowing around you." Isobel finished, laughing. "A very nice choice." 

After waving a quick goodbye, Jubilee and Kitty headed off ahead of the rest, both holding silver packages. 

"So, I guess this means that you're going to the masquerade anyway, huh?" Kitty asked slyly, unable to keep the "I-told-you-so" tone out of her voice. 

"Yeah, I guess so. And _don't_ look like that," Jubilee said, spotting Kitty's face. "I just did it because of the dress, okay?" 

"Well, I can't _wait_. I have a feeling that the masquerade is going to turn out to be a very specialnight..."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Do I have to tell you that, once again, Kitty would turn out to be very right? No, I think you'll figure that out by yourselves... 


	5. Part Five: Magical Evening, Mysterious N...

Author's Note: The last chapter was sort of breezy and not all that fantastically written, I know, (there wasn't all that much scope for imagination, people) but I'm going to work my fingers to the bone (literally! typing ain't no joke ;-) on this chapter, to make it the best one so far. Oooh, I just love masquerades – and a mutant one should be _especially _fun....

A small note about accents: at first, I didn't want to write in Sam's accent, since it's enough trouble keeping track of one Southerner :-) but I think it would add a little more interest to his character, so from now on his dialogue is written pretty much the same way as Rogue's.

And of course, thanks to all the great reviewers! You guys are just _so_ sweet! It's a wonder my head hasn't expanded.... (Has it? It hasn't, right? Or? *Hurries off to check in the mirror*)

~ Kitty & Jubilee: The Witch Files ~

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**Part Five: **

**_Magical Evening, Mysterious Night_**__

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"He finally asked me!" 

Kitty made her breathless announcement and flopped onto her bed, flinging her books to the side. 

"About time." Jubilee grumbled, surveying Kitty's glowing cheeks and brilliant eyes. "What was he waiting for - a written invitation?"

"What's bothering you today?" Kitty asked, noticing the slightly bitter tone to Jubilee's voice.

"All this romance crap... Honestly, it's everywhere – like some sort of disease..."  

"Jubilee, what's wrong?" Kitty asked, nonplussed. "A few days ago you were happy for me, and now..."  
"Yeah, well, that was a few days ago, wasn't it? Things change." 

Kitty watched Jubilee's eyes narrow, and a certain anxious feeling started gnawing at her stomach. 

"Jubes, you haven't... You haven't seen St. John recently, have you?" 

"Yeah, saw him a few minutes ago. That good-for-nothing creep actually wanted to _talk_ to me – can you believe that?" 

"Um... you're angry because he wanted to talk to you?" Kitty's eyebrows shot up about half an inch. "And that's why you're so mad?"

"I'm not _mad_." Jubilee stated angrily, although her flashing eyes said otherwise. "I'm just annoyed by the fact that this whole Attraction Removal spell thing _isn't working_." 

"It isn't?" Kitty was actually surprised – despite the fact that every sensible, logical feeling in her was sure the spell wouldn't work, she was expecting at least _something _to happen. "How do you know that?"

"Just look at this." Jubilee flung Kitty a manila envelope; peeling it open, Kitty found a small note inside. It was only compromised of the following lines: 

_Dear Jubilee, _

_I'm sorry for whatever I did to offend you so much. I'd really like another chance to talk to you, so could you please meet me on the grounds around ten tonight? I feel like we really had something going between us..._

_Send me a reply soon, if you get the chance.  _

_Love, St. John. _

Kitty stopped, re-read the last line, paused, read it again, and then stared at it, mouth hanging open. _"Love, St. John"_?Was she actually seeing it, or was it just that she couldn't read St. John's handwriting?If the spell had worked correctly, then he certainly wouldn't be sending her secret notes; it was definitely not the sort of thing the normal St. John would've done. 

"Pathetic, isn't it? As if I'd actually go meet him – I wouldn't be caught _dead_ with that loser."

Kitty looked up with her brow furrowed. Jubilee was acting incredibly snappish, which was unusual for her, being the bouncy, energetic person that she was; in fact, it was so unusual that it was almost as if she were under a spell... 

Kitty gasped and glanced from the note to Jubilee's irritated face. _The spell._ Suddenly St. John was acting all kind and polite, or at least that was what she gathered from the note, and Jubilee was acting like he was something sticky from the bottom of her shoe. The attraction had been removed, all right, but only from one person...

"Jubilee? Where is the Book of Shadows?" 

Jubilee jerked her thumb towards a corner of the room, where the book was lying on top of Kitty's desk. Flipping through the pages hurriedly, Kitty found the Attraction Removal Spell and scanned the whole page carefully. Finally, at the bottom of the page, she noticed something written in very fine print that she hadn't seen before. Roughly translated, it said: _"Before the Attraction Removal Spell can be cast, both the male and the female have to be fully willing to denounce all attraction between them..." _

Darn it, why hadn't they read the whole page? St. John hadn't even been aware of the spell, so of course it wouldn't have worked on him... Instead, all of Jubilee's attraction to _him _was added to his own attraction to _her_. Well, it wasn't like they could've gone up to him and said, "Hey, St. John, we just need your permission to involve you in a potentially dangerous spell from a forbidden book full of dark magic that we took from the library without permission..." 

Oh, yeah, that sounded soooo possible. 

"I should've known this stuff wouldn't work," Jubilee was muttering. "Mystic or higher, my eye – just a whole load of junk, that's what it is..." 

Kitty sat down at her desk with the Book of Shadows in front of her and sighed heavily. Until she found a counter-spell, she would just have to put up with Jubilee's crummy mood; even if it meant enduring another hour of sarcastic comments and irritated grumbles.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

On the day of the masquerade, Kitty was a nervous wreck – but not for quite the same reasons as everyone else. As soon as she woke up that morning she ran to the Book of Shadows, checked a potion she had been studying last night, read out all the ingredients and then scanned the potion through once again. Then she carefully pulled out a small bottle full of clear liquid from a drawer. The liquid was tinged with rosy color and frothing slightly; it was a potion Kitty had prepared the night before, and the only thing she had been able to find that would reverse the Attraction Removal Spell. 

_But how will I get Jubes to drink it? _Kitty wondered, casting a hurried glance at her sleeping roommate. She would rather not tell Jubilee about the potion; the more discreet she was about it, the better. The potion was supposed to take effect approximately twelve hours after it was drunk. Kitty did some quick calculations; just then it was about seven in the morning, which meant the potion would take effect about seven o'clock that night – just in time for the masquerade, which would take place at eight, when Jubilee definitely wouldn't be able to avoid St. John any longer. 

The easiest way to give her the potion, Kitty decided, would be to slip it into Jubilee's juice at breakfast, but even that wouldn't be very easy; if Scott or any of the other teachers saw her, there would be a lot of awkward questions to answer. But it was a risk she had to take, unless she wanted to put up with the jolly new Jubilee forever. 

At seven thirty, a loud ringing called all the students out of their beds, including Jubilee. Mumbling and yawning, she showered and changed into her usual pink and yellow ensemble and followed Kitty out of the girls' dorms. As usual, the girls were swept up in the swarm of students heading towards the dining hall; the swarm grew larger when the students who slept in the East wing and the students who slept in the West wing met at the great staircase and spilled into the dining hall, chatting and talking and exchanging loud jokes. Most people were fully awake by then, but others dragged themselves along looking like they hadn't slept for weeks – mainly, those people were seniors who had heavy exams to study for.

The girls found a pair of empty seats in the back and sat down; Kitty noted thankfully that St. John wasn't even in sight. Everyone around them seemed to be too busy talking about the masquerade or exchanging costume ideas to notice them at all. With a shaking hand, Kitty slid the potion bottle out of her pocket and pulled the cap off under the table. She waited until Jubilee had turned to reach for a plate of buttered toast, and then carefully tapped a little of the liquid into her glass of orange juice. Then she hurriedly jammed the lid back on and stuck the bottle back into her pocket. Kitty's heart was racing a mile a minute and she wouldn't be surprised if her cheeks were inflamed, but no one seemed to have noticed. Breathing a sigh of relief, she reached out for a slice of toast, congratulating herself on not being spotted. 

"Kitty!" 

The shock of hearing someone shout her name was so great that Kitty jumped, slipped – and fell straight through the floor, phasing through the solid matter like it was water. After finding herself in complete darkness, Kitty realized that she had phased straight into the school basement. Giving an irritated hiss, she found a couple of boxes stacked in a corner and pulled them to where she had fallen. Climbing up, she managed to reach high enough to raise her head and shoulders above the ceiling. Her head and torso suddenly penetrated the floor of the dining hall and Kitty heard several audible gasps from the people around her. 

"Kitty! Oh, ah'm so sorry, ah didn't mean to scare you..." Kitty recognized the familiar gorgeous Kentucky accent and looked up to see Sam watching her anxiously.

"No, Sam, it doesn't matter," she insisted, smiling. "It happens all the time." That was something of a fib, since she was usually fully able to control her powers, but Sam looked relieved all the same. After Jubilee and Sam had hauled her back up through the floor, Sam explained that he had come to remind her to accompany him to the school grounds half an hour before the masquerade ended. 

"Why'd he want you to do that?" Jubilee asked, watching Sam walk away. 

"I don't know," Kitty said, shrugging, "he only told me it was a surprise."

Jubilee snorted and took a long gulp of juice. "He's probably going to end up maiming you with a thorny rose or something. Honestly, Kit, the guy is almost dangerous..."

"Hey, I thought you liked dangerous men." Kitty grinned to hide the relief she felt at seeing Jubilee swallow the potion; thankfully, she hadn't noticed anything strange about it. All she had to do know was wait for the potion to take effect. If it took effect at all... 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Finally, after what seemed like hours of tedious boredom, the bell to signal the end of the last class rang loud and clear, jolting the students back into their former excitement. Most of them just scattered around the school to work off some of their extra energy, since there were still a few hours left until the actual masquerade took place. 

Jubilee and Kitty spent some of their time hanging around the school grounds, but at seven o'clock sharp they raced back into the girls' dorms and locked themselves in. Most of the boys were still hanging around various parts of the school, since they didn't need a whole hour to get ready, but the girls needed a lot of extra time. 

Kitty and Jubilee, who seemed to be recovering from her grouchiness, methodically went through all the customary steps of party preparation. After a quick shower, they changed into their dresses with great ceremony and did up their hair as carefully and cautiously as they put on their makeup, with the just the right amounts (very small amounts, in Jubilee's case) of blush, lip gloss and mascara. 

When they were completely finished, they scrutinized themselves in the mirror; Kitty looked incredibly authentic with her chestnut hair curled, jazz-style, about her face, the red headband slipped around her forehead and the dress hugging the outlines of her slim figure and glittering with a hundred scarlet sequins. But if she looked good, then Jubilee looked incredible. She had followed Isobel's advice and added extensions to her hair, pulling them towards the back of her head and then letting a couple of long, soft black curls hang around her face and shoulders; the dress was a perfect fit, and the short lacy sleeves and low cut neck made a very fine display of her slender arms, neck and shoulders. She didn't look like at all Jubilee any more; she looked more like a gentlewoman from eighteenth-century England, arrayed in elaborate silk and glittering silver. 

"Well, are we ready?" Kitty asked, looking slightly flustered. 

"Yeah... Yeah, let's go." Jubilee seemed to be steeling herself for whatever was to come. "But if anyone laughs at me, I'll pack a punch that'll send them into next week." 

Kitty just smiled and they left the room, joining a group of girls who were heading towards the top floor, where the whole masquerade would be taking place. A few students had come early, but most of the student body reached the ballroom at exactly the same time; usually, this would mean a lot of noise, but suddenly everybody went silent. 

The last anyone had ever seen of the ballroom was when it was still a large, but plain, room with few decorations and a poor paint job, but the faculty had really worked magic on it since then. 

Shining chandeliers hung from the ceiling, casting everything in delicate, brilliant light; the floor was covered in crimson carpeting, crimson and gold tapestries hung from the wall and the rich rosy paint covering the walls set everything off beautifully; an area in the center of the ballroom had been cleared for dancing, and elegant buffet tables stood in various corners of the room. And when the ballroom started filling with students, it was suddenly transformed into a place swarming with masked riders, fairy queens, Roman gladiators and even Arabian dancers; everywhere was colorful silk, gauze and velvet, fluttering feathers and twinkling beads... 

Music had suddenly started up (no one seemed to know where it came from, but nobody seemed to care, either) and several couples moved onto the dance floor, quickly filling the space. 

The only person in the room who wasn't wearing a costume was Logan, but he didn't look like he needed or wanted one. Jubilee saw Rogue move over to him in her frilly, pink and white Little Bo Peep outfit; she bent over, said something to him and then smiled expectantly, but Logan just shook his head and said something gruffly before lighting a cigar. Rogue walked away looking partly disappointed and partly miffed, as if she really hadn't been expecting to be turned down. 

"What's up with her?" Kitty had also been watching Rogue.

"I think Wolvie just turned her down or something," Jubilee answered, shrugging. She didn't exactly feel sorry for Rogue, but she wasn't jumping with joy, either – she just didn't care all that much.   

"Oh, no, it's Stooge time," Jubilee suddenly whispered, spotting Bobby, Sam and St. John heading in their direction – but Kitty could tell she wasn't really annoyed, because she grinned when she saw their outfits. All three boys wore dark clothes, long dark capes, leather gloves and hats with plumed feathers; and to set if off, they all carried very realistic-looking swords.   

"Whoa, invasion of the musketeers," Kitty grinned. "Very authentic." 

"Well, what about you, miss twenties jazz?" Sam teased. 

"Yeah, you guys look great." Bobby suddenly bowed, making a very elegant movement with his sword. "Hail to Lady Jubilation, Queen of Jubilation Town in Jubilee Land." 

"Cut that off, or Lady Jubilation might just get annoyed," Jubilee threatened, although she didn't actually have anything to threaten them _with_. 

"Well, Athos here wanted to ask for a dance," Bobby said, pointing at Sam, "so we came with him for moral support." 

Sam dipped his head and took Kitty's hand lightly. "Care ta dance?" He asked, blue-gray eyes twinkling. 

"Why, certainly. You don't mind, do you, Jubes?" Kitty paused, turning around doubtfully. 

"Nah, go ahead. Just make sure 'Athos' doesn't accidentally break your ankle," she added, with a grin. 

Sam and Kitty were soon lost in the sea of dancing couples, and Bobby was unexpectedly asked to dance by Rogue, who pulled him away so fast he didn't even have time to answer. At first, Jubilee thought Rogue had forgotten all about Logan, but then she noticed that Rogue kept keeping her eyes fixed over Bobby's shoulder, and they always seemed to be dancing past the area where Logan was standing. 

For a moment, she almost thought St. John had drifted off, but then she turned and there he was, leaning against a wall, icy blue eyes quietly fixed on her. 

She didn't know what to think of St. John any more. If the masquerade and that moment had taken place a week ago, she would be doing her best to annoy him. If it had been just before the spell, she would have been avoiding him. Now she just stood there, debating on whether to stay where she was and ignore him or just run away. 

"You didn't come," He said suddenly, in a frosty tone she knew well. _Well, at least this solves my problem for me. _

"What?"

"Last night. You didn't show up." The way he said it sent a clear message of what he was thinking: _You stood me up on purpose. _

Jubilee shrugged, not really sure on what to do with her hands. She could remember staying in that night and completely ignoring his note, but she couldn't remember _why_. 

"I guess I was just too busy," She said, not being able to think of anything else. Suddenly, she couldn't understand why she'd been so repulsed by St. John the night before; memories of the day they painted together came flooding back, and clear images that she really didn't want to see flashed in her mind; the warmth of his kiss, the pleasant tingling of her skin, the utter silence broken only by two people's fluent breathing... 

Jubilee broke off her train of thought and realized that her cheeks were starting to flush. 

"Look, St. John.... I'm sorry. I was really unfair to you, and... Well, I'm just sorry," She mumbled, forcing the apology out; she was unused to it, not really being the 'apologizing type'. 

St. John didn't answer, but he kept his eyes fixed on a point just beside her head; she couldn't tell if his eyes were focused or unfocused, but it was making her nervous. 

"Do you want to dance?" He asked suddenly, his eyes snapping back to her. 

"Yes." Jubilee didn't even think about it, the answer just slipped out. "Sure, I'd love to dance." 

St. John pulled her onto the dance floor and slipped both arms lightly around her waist. Jubilee gingerly settled her slender arms around his shoulders and they swayed lightly, drifting back and forth across the floor to a slow, easy rhythm. When they had drifted into the center of the swarm of dancers, they passed several familiar faces; Sam and Kitty, who both turned and grinned, Bobby and Rogue – Bobby managed a pained smile and Rogue still kept her eyes fixed on Logan – Scott and Jean, who had eyes only for each other, and Ororo, who was dancing with Warren Worthington, a fellow student of theirs. Warren had fittingly worn an angel costume; a long white toga and a halo made up his outfit, since he already had the large, natural feathery white wings of an angel growing out of his back. 

"You know, Jubilee, you never told me what went wrong." St. John fixed his eyes on her with an ever so slightly softened expression. 

"It just... It just felt weird, you know? Like I was betraying someone. Myself, maybe." Jubilee shrugged again with a would-be lighthearted smile. 

"Do you still feel like that, or... do you feel like giving it another shot?" 

"Do you really mean that? After the way I acted?" Jubilee asked, raising her eyebrows. 

"Hey, everyone makes mistakes. Besides, we've both acted like jerks, so we're even." St. John smiled, further softening his previously icy features. 

Jubilee cocked her head to one side, pretending to think about it. "All right, I'll make you a deal. We'll go on a trial of, say, three days, and if either of us resorts to jerkiness again, we break it off. Deal?" 

"Yeah. Deal." 

"So..." Jubilee paused and grinned, "does this mean I have to be nice to you _all _the time? Because that'll be sort of hard to do..." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"It's half past eleven," Sam stated, glancing at his watch. "Time ta go." 

"Go where?" Kitty asked, curiously. 

"Mah surprise, remember? Come on." Sam took her hand and steered them out of the crowd of dancing people; Bobby, seeing them leave, furtively gave Sam a thumbs-up before being jerked away by Rogue. 

The grass of the school lawns was moist and speckled with dew, and the clear, starry night sky sported a vast full moon that cast a faint silvery glow on the world below. The air was chilly, but not very cold, and an almost complete silence reigned, softening even the noises coming from inside the school. 

"Now, what did you want to show me?" 

Sam raised his arm (the one holding the sword) and gestured to a point in the sky. Kitty peered upwards, but she couldn't see anything at first; then she saw silvery-white streaks cross the dark velvety sky, fading into the distance. 

"Ah knew there was a meteor shower tonight, and ah just thought ya might like ta see it." Sam was watching her face expectantly, as if he was worried about what she might say. 

"Aw, Sam, that's so _sweet_," Kitty said, smiling. "Only you would think of something like this." 

"It isn't a very big deal or anythin', though..." Sam trailed off, trying not to look too pleased. 

"Well, _I_ still think it was very sweet of you." Kitty rewarded him with a warm smile and an equally warm kiss on either cheek. Sam grinned and leaned forward, catching Kitty off guard with a kiss full on the lips. She actually smiled inwardly and slipped her arms around him; she was only happy he'd worked up enough nerve to kiss her like that. 

"What was that?" Kitty broke away suddenly; she had distinctly heard a soft crunching sound coming from nearby. 

"What was what?" Sam asked, trying to follow her line of vision.

"You didn't hear anything?" Sam was just about to shake his head 'no' when a sudden loud commotion made them turn their heads towards the school. The lights in the upper floor windows suddenly went out - plunging the ballroom and its inmates in utter darkness. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Ow!"

_"Ow!"_

"Watch it!"

"Who's that?" 

"Jubilee?"

"St. John?" 

"Sam!"

"Kitty!"

"Hey, guys."

"Bobby? Is Rogue there?"

"Yeah, ah'm right here."  

"Hello? What's going on?"

"Warren! Warren – ow, your wings are poking me – where's Ororo?" 

"Here! Oh, goddess, I can barely see. Is everyone all right?"

"Yeah, yeah, everyone's fine. We probably just had some electrical problems or something..."

"Drat it, no one's going to get out of here unless we can _see._ Jubilee, do you –"

"Have any matches?" Jubilee grinned into the darkness as she finished off St. John's sentence for him. "Nope, but I know someone who does. Wolvie? Where are you?"

"Right here, kiddo." Logan's gruff voice came out from somewhere close by. "I've got a lighter here somewhere.... Here we go." Logan managed to hand the lighter to St. John, who lit a small flame just above his palm and slowly molded it with an invisible force into a flaming fireball the size of a fist. 

"Okay, watch out here, we don't want anyone to get burned..." St. John held the fireball high above his head and peered into the darkness. He could see Scott pushing past the crowd to get to them; when he got close enough, they could all see he was carrying an armful of candles. 

"I got these from the supply room – here, use them while I go see what's wrong with the ligh --–"

**Crash. **   

With an ear-splitting crash and a shattering sound, one of the enormous chandeliers hanging from the ceiling swung from its place and smashed onto the floor, shattering into a thousand pieces and scattering glass everywhere. Several people cried out and jumped back in alarm, but luckily no one was actually standing _under_ the chandelier, or close enough to get injured. 

"What the hell is goin' on here?" Logan growled, sniffing the air cautiously. 

"It probably just got loose..." Kitty trailed off uneasily and slipped her hand through Sam's.  

"No, it couldn't have... We secured them this morning..." Jean sounded just as uneasy as Kitty, but she kept the nervousness in her voice to a bare minimum. 

"Well, ah think we should all get out of here." Rogue said firmly, although her eyes darted to the ruined chandelier and back again in a very tense way. 

"I agree. Attention! _Attention, students!"_ With a sudden rush of wind, Ororo propelled herself upwards and hovered several feet above the ground, where everyone could see and hear her. "I would like you all to proceed to your respective dorms in a _calm and orderly fashion_." Her deep, smooth voice carried a firm 'this-is-not-the-time-for-messing-around' tone, and most of the students moved towards the great double doors of the hall as quietly as they could. 

After a pause, a sudden hush, a small commotion by the door and some urgent whispering, and a skinny teenage boy suddenly appeared next to Scott; his mutation enabled him to teleport from one place only to reappear instantly in another. 

"Mr. Summers, sir, we can't get out," the boy said, fidgeting nervously. 

"What do you mean, David?" Ororo asked, floating back down to the ground. "What's wrong?"

"The doors won't open – we think they're jammed." David answered, pointing towards the doors. 

"So you're saying we're stuck in here?" Logan said shortly, fixing his eyes on the boy.

"It sure looks like it, sir." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Author's Note: Ooh, how are the X-Men going to get themselves out of this one? There's only one way to find out, folks! (No, not review – although you might consider doing that :-) Tune in for the next update of "Mutants in Distress"! No, wait, that's the wrong fic. Sorry, I mean "The Witch Files". (Too many pixie sticks have finally caught up with me :-)  

Okay, once again, very little witch-iness in this chapter, 

-Enigma-

P.S: "David" is just an 'extra', he's not an official Marvel mutant. All others are :-) 


	6. Part Six: Haunted

~ Kitty & Jubilee: The Witch Files ~

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**Part Six: **

**_Haunted _**

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Logan, you don't really mean that, do you?" Scott asked, readjusting his visor. 

"You heard the boy," Logan grunted. "'Sounds to me like we'll just have to force our way out of here." 

"Well, I'm going to go check – maybe it isn't completely jammed. Jean?" Scott half-turned to his fiancé.

"I'm right behind you," she asserted, and the two moved off among the students. Most people had formed small huddles in the darkness, holding dimly glowing candles; most of the students were whispering and staring pointedly at the ruined chandelier and scattered glass shards on the floor.

"Ah hope nothing serious happens." Rogue made her voice go soft and frightened as she leaned towards Logan and slipped her arm in his. "But you'll protect me, won't you?" She smiled up at him charmingly, only to be met with a look of stony disapproval. 

"Shucks. And I so wanted to be the Protector Boy," Bobby said, grinning. Jubilee got the idea that, although he seemed so lighthearted about it, Bobby might be the tiniest bit jealous, since he seemed to be developing quite a few strong feelings for Rogue. 

"If we could open the window, maybe Warren could fly out and try to get it open from the outside; or David could teleport his way out and get the Professor..." Kitty started, but Ororo shook her head.

"We can't risk having anyone see Warren flying out, and David could hardly get the door open on his own, if it really is jammed. We'll just have to wait and see what happens before doing anything rash."

"Easier said than done," Logan muttered, under his breath. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Scott caught at both door handles and tugged as hard as he could, but the only response he got from the door was the tiniest of creaks, and it wasn't the sort of creak that meant it was going to open up any time soon.

"Well?" Jean asked, expectantly. Scott just shook his head. 

"I'll have to blast it," He decided finally. Jean sighed heavily but didn't protest, since she really couldn't see any other way out. Herding the students out of the way to give Scott some space, she watched as he brought his thumb up to his visor, twiddled a small trigger on the side and then pressed it. 

Hard. 

There was a sharp bang as wood and metal splintered under the force of the scarlet optic blast; then there was a slight scraping sound as the double doors flew open to reveal the dark hallway beyond.

A murmur of relief ran through the crowd of students, and they all pressed towards the doors, eager to leave. 

"Well, that was one of the weirdest dances I've ever been to," St. John stated a few moments later, as he, Jubilee, Kitty, Sam and Bobby all filed past the double doors. Somehow, he had managed to sum up what they all felt in that one sentence.

"It _was_ kind of odd the way that chandelier just fell down and smashed onto the floor..." Jubilee shivered and grimaced. "I mean, it could have hit any one of us, and what would we have done then?"

"Sued the Professor?" Bobby suggested, smiling. "No, seriously, I don't think it was all that big a deal – just an accident, right? And no one got hurt." 

"I'm starting to think this whole thing is a little fishy... And for all we know, we might be in store for more of these little surprises," Kitty said thoughtfully, twining her fingers tighter through Sam's. 

"You and your darn premonitions." Jubilee muttered. "I hope you're _wrong_ for once." 

"Yes, well, we can always _hope_..." Warren said quietly. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Exactly twenty four hours later, all students and faculty at the school were tucked away safely in their beds, either fast asleep or dozing lightly between fits of nightmares, which were strangely common among the inhabitants of Xavier's. The hallways were dark and silent, and a loud wind howled insistently against the windows of the building, causing the surrounding trees to whisper with the rustle of leaves. 

A whiff of shadowy gray mist, a mere glimmering shadow in the dark, suddenly shimmered just inside the doors of the school, as if it had passed through the door and now hovered in the hallway, gleaming dimly.  

At a second glance, it did not look like mist; more like a shadow, slipping in like dark liquid, silently, cautiously, sensing its way through the dimness. Then the shadow took a more solid form; a solid form that moved in a deliberately slow way, gliding up the staircase that led to the West wing. The hand that gripped the banisters of the staircase was almost transparent, dim and gossamer-like, and the face almost completely hidden by shadow held a pair of empty, inexpressibly sad eyes, like deep hollows etched into the skull. 

Katherine Pryde was naturally a light sleeper, but tonight an earthquake wouldn't have woken her up. She was tired from losing a whole night's sleep on the day of the masquerade, going through an incredibly boring lesson with Ororo on the development of some economical problem in some country or other during some point in time, reading up on healing spells and spirit summoning, staying up late chatting with Jubilee over a shared snack of Doritos and finishing off the History essay they were due to hand in. All in all, she was pretty much drained of all energy.

Which was why she didn't notice anything when the transparent stranger glided into the room she shared with Jubilee and hovered near their beds, bringing a chilling breeze into the room every time it moved. It was also why she didn't notice anything when the stranger leaned over her, bringing its cold, impassive face only inches from her own. 

It was then that Kitty woke up. It was then that she saw the hollow, grief-stricken, skeletal face.

It was then that she screamed.  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"You saw _what_?" Jubilee stopped her fork halfway to her mouth and gawked at Kitty. It was lunchtime, and the two of them had chosen their usual table at the back of the dining hall. Kitty had decided to tell Jubilee all about the stranger once they sat down, but Jubilee was having a hard time believing her. 

"I'm not sure, though, but it looked awfully like... Well, it looked like... a ghost," Kitty finished lamely, knowing how extremely strange she was sounding to Jubilee. Usually, Kitty was the calm, cool, down-to-earth girl. She didn't see or believe in ghosts, and, so far, she had never been visited by one. 

"Come on, Kit, stop kidding around. You woke me halfway through the night screaming about a _ghost_?" Jubilee shook her head in disbelief. "Not even I'm that gullible."

"I'm not joking, Jubes. Whatever I saw certainly wasn't a student or an X-Man – I don't even think it was a mutant at all."

"But..." Jubilee faltered a little; she just couldn't mistake the firm sincerity in Kitty's expression, but still... "Ghosts don't exist. They're not – they're not real. And besides, wouldn't Jean or the Professor have noticed it coming in?"

"Jean or the Professor can only sense a strange presence through telepathy, but I don't think dead people have thoughts. I know how you feel; if I was you, I wouldn't believe it either, but I _did _see something very strange in our room, and it vanished as soon as I screamed. It disappeared, just like that. And the only beings who can do that are mutants or..."

"...ghosts," Jubilee finished quietly. She toyed with a forkful of scrambled eggs, running it around her plate while she thought. Then her head suddenly snapped up and she stared at Kitty with a wide-eyed expression. 

"Kit, yesterday, when we read up on spirit summoning.... You didn't actually chant any of those incantations, did you?"

Kitty thought back and started to shake her head slowly. "No, not that I can --- wait! There was one, that 'Wandering Spirit' summoning, where you call on lost spirits to come to you for help... I was sort of just whispering it to get the feel of it, I never really thought it would work..." There was now a slightly panicked expression on her face and Jubilee groaned audibly. If Kitty had somehow activated the spirit summoning; if she really had called up a ghost... Well, then they were in some seriously deep trouble.  

"This is insane... First spells that go totally wack, then ghosts..." 

"Ghosts? What are y'all talkin' about today?" Sam slid into the seat next to Kitty's and raised his eyebrows lightly.

"Nothing," Both girls said quickly, smiling. 

"Nothing? The Chatterbox twins _not talking_? I find that hard to believe," St. John drawled, sitting opposite Sam. 

"We weren't _not talking_, we just weren't talking about anything." Jubilee said, shrugging lightly just as Bobby dropped into a spare seat next to St. John. 

"To move on from that subject, has anybody else dared to try the macaroni and cheese?" Bobby asked, turning their attention towards the plate of gooey gray-yellow something in front of him.

"Macaroni and cheese?" Jubilee glanced at the gooey mass. "Isn't that when they mix half-rotten stumps of camel tongue with moldy old Mozzarella?" 

There was a pause while everyone at the table stared at Jubilee and then glanced at the slimy macaroni in front of Bobby. 

"Would it make me any less manly if I said _eeeew_?" Bobby asked, aside to St. John.

"Very," St. John assured him. Bobby just shrugged and said "_eeeew_" anyway. 

"Honestly, Jubes, that was gross..." Kitty muttered, making a mental note to stick to tuna salad until the end of the term. 

"Well, I've heard worse," Jubilee said, shrugging. "I've heard students have found pieces of _people_ in some of these lunches... You know, eyeballs and stuff."

"I don't see any eyeballs in here," Bobby stated, after poking a fork into the macaroni and examining it closely. "I do think I see a couple of fingernails somewhere, though..."

"Okay, that's it. This is the last time ah ever sit with you guys for lunch," Sam declared, looking completely grossed out. 

"That makes two of us," Kitty added, shaking her head.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A few hours later, Jubilee and Kitty were browsing the Book of Shadows, trying to find anything to ward off the spirits that Kitty had summoned; because, according to the book, once the wandering spirits were summoned, they would continue to come until they were either helped or warded off. However, the book conveniently forgot to mention just _how_ the spirits were to be warded off. 

"Hey, wouldn't it be easier if one of us covered the book while the other checked the computer? I mean, there's gotta' be something on the Net about spirit summoning," Jubilee suggested wearily, after her fingers had started to cramp up from page-turning. The problem with the Book of Shadows was that it didn't have any index or page numbers; generally, the girls would just flick through it and land on an interesting spell or curse. 

"Good idea," Kitty agreed, yawning. She sat down at the desk, brought out her laptop and clicked it open while Jubilee continued to browse the Book of Shadows.

A few moments later Kitty had landed on a site that explained, fully, the ways of spirit summoning, and she read the page in relief, only to be caught by a certain sentence at the end. 

_When one or more spirits are summoned, a portal between this world and an alternate universe is temporarily opened to allow the lost souls access to the physical world. However, if the summoning is done incorrectly, the portal may not be sealed properly and is then left open for anything to pass through; in time, the portal may grow to include openings to even more diverse universes and shadow creatures such as spirits and even demons will have the full ability to pass into this world...._

_The sealing of an unrestricted portal is extremely difficult; it requires great concentration and skill, and it can only be done using the power of Three, an ancient factor in magick that allows three witches a high level of strength that they could never achieve on their own. Once a Circle of Three has been formed, the chosen witches must..._

Kitty didn't read on beyond that, because she suddenly realized that the water was getting deeper than she thought. If she and Jubilee couldn't find a third witch to help them seal the portal, anything could happen... And demons at the school were not exactly what they had been hoping for when they started with witchcraft. Plus, they weren't even minor spellcasters yet, so the third witch would have to be very skilled, maybe even past master witch level... _But we'll find someone, _Kitty promised herself. 

_We have to. _

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_"One is strong, stronger are Two, _

_If you aid me, sister, I will aid you._

_And yet, two souls cannot fight a war,_

_If we are to succeed, we shall need more._

_From among those witches who blessed be,_

_We call upon One to make us Three. _

_One to aid us, one to lead,_

_One to provide the power we need._

_Hear us, sister, wherever you are, _

_We call upon you from afar. _

_Lady, show us the name of the Third, _

_Show us that our call has been heard!" _

Kitty and Jubilee finished the chant and let their voices die into the darkness. The black bowl once again stood between them; they sat on either side of it, cross-legged, holding each other's hands. Candles positioned to form a five-pointed star surrounded them, flickering with the vibrations of their voices, and moist tea-leaves floated around at the bottom of the bowl. Jubilee silently held a candle flame to the water in the bowl and then held the bowl in both hands and stirred the tea leaves with slow, circular movements. Finally, she stopped, and the girls saw the leaves flutter softly into place until they formed a symbol against the soaked tea dregs; a symbol easily recognizable as a letter of the alphabet. Kitty examined the letter and wrote it down on a sheet of paper. Jubilee repeated the circular movement several times until no more letters showed up in the tealeaves and they finally lay still at the bottom of the bowl, shifting into the motionless dark dregs. 

"So, what have you got there?" Jubilee asked, bending over to look at what Kitty had written. She read the evenly spaced letters and then raised an eyebrow lightly. 

Neatly written on the paper was the name _Isobel Lynde. _

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Jubilee, come on, it might not be her... I mean, the name Isobel isn't all that uncommon..." Kitty muttered, bending sideways in her seat to talk to Jubilee during Algebra, which was being taught by Jean. The girls had chosen seats in the far back, where Jean hopefully wouldn't notice them and where they'd be far enough from the other students to be able to talk freely. 

"Come on, Kitty, what other Isobel do we know? And why shouldn't it be her? I mean, it makes sense, all we have to do is go over to the store and..."

"And what? Ask her to join our Circle? You _do _realize that we'd have to invite her over and _tell _her about us being mutants, which would endanger the whole school. She might expose us to the press, for all we know."

"Hey, she's obviously knows her way around magic, or her name wouldn't have come up. Okay, I admit, we shouldn't trust her immediately... But hey, maybe she's a mutant too!" Jubilee seemed to brighten up with the idea, but Kitty shook her head.

"What are the odds of that? And I mean it when I say the school would be in danger..."

"What, the demons that might just attack us during the night don't seem dangerous enough to you?" Jubilee sighed and leaned back in her chair. 

"Look, Kit, I say the only way to do this is to just go for it. We'll say we have some _personal _shopping to do –I mean, all we have to do is mention the words _"monthly cycle" _to Scott and he'll practically throw us the keys to the convertible. Then we head off to _Nancy's_, ask for Isobel and just tell her about it. I mean, what's the worst that can happen? And the whole mutant thing probably won't be too hard for her to handle, considering the fact that witches aren't all that accepted nowadays..." 

"Actually, most people become witches only because they want to be part of the persecuted minority," Kitty said, with a hint of disgust. "They pretend to be witches so they can be noticed – I've heard some people even pretend to be mutants just to be cool... What if she's one of those people?"  

"So what if she is? Look, Kit, I'm getting a really bad feeling about this whole portal thing... I mean, some pretty incredible stuff has happened so far, and magic is fun and all, but it ends with the demons. And the only way we close that portal is with the power of Three, whether we like it or not." Kitty had filled Jubilee in on everything she'd read on the Net, and Jubilee was determined to fix whatever mistake had been made; and besides, Kitty's description of the ghost she had seen was giving her a serious amount of chills...

"You're right," Kitty said finally, sighing. "We've gotta try it."

"But, Kit... What if she isn't the right one? What if we try to close the portal, and we only make it worse? What happens then?" Jubilee asked, in a quiet voice that made it seem more as if she was speaking to herself than to Kitty.

"I don't know, Jubes... I really don't know." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Author's Note: Another finished chapter... Hopefully, I'll be able to wrap this up in time for the summer holidays, when I'll be starting a new project: _"The Witch Files, Volume II"_. Believe me, there are going to be a _whole _load of surprises/improvements in the sequel... (*sigh*) That is, if I ever get this finished. 

Anyway, all reviews are welcome. And RaeLynn, I read the second chapter of _"What I want"_ – it seems to be coming along really well, I can't wait for more :-) As for all other reviewers (ye few but fateful ;-) thanx a whole load, you guys always manage to make the day a little brighter :-) 

And it's great to see so many witches amongst the reviewers. To tell the truth, I'm getting pretty interested in witchcraft myself, but I don't think I'll become a Wiccan any time soon... But for all those who are, _blessed be_.

-Enigma-


	7. Part Seven: A Circle Complete

~ Kitty & Jubilee: The Witch Files ~

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~****

**Part Seven: ******

**_A Circle Complete_**

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Aah! Watch the road – slow down!"

"I _am _slowing down, don't worry –"

"_Don't_ _worry_? How can I help worrying? You drive like some sort of speed demon!" 

"Okay, so I haven't had much practice... But we're almost there, anyway."

"Luckily. Ooh, no, don't turn! -" This was said just as the car swung into a sharp U-turn, flinging its occupants to the side. 

" - Oh, god, I think I'm about to be sick..." 

"Well, go ahead; I'm sure Scott won't mind..." Of course, Jubilee added heavy amounts of sarcasm to the comment. "I mean, he'll only want to tear you apart limb from limb - but hey, that's just him..."

"Okay, okay, I get the point. Oh, thank god, we're here." 

Jubilee managed to park the car by making a series of miraculous swings and finally slamming into a parking space, and she and Kitty climbed out dizzily in front of the mall's front entrance. It wasn't hard to find _Nancy's_ among the other stores in the brightly lit mall, but the two girls took their time, wandering slowly while discussing just what they were supposed to say once they saw Isobel. 

"I don't think we should cut straight to the whole "Hey, guess what, we're mutants!" part, but we shouldn't start with the witchcraft either... Maybe we should ask her questions..."

"What sort of questions?"

"Well, we can ask her if her last name is Lynde," Kitty said, ticking it off on her fingers, "if she's a witch, what level she's reached, if she's willing to join a Circle of Three... You know, that sort of thing."

Jubilee just nodded, barely listening to what Kitty was saying. She was starting to wonder if this was really such a good idea; what if someone heard them telling Isobel that they were mutants, and then ran off and told someone else, and a reporter or a politician got wind of it... What if they traced them back to the school and found out that it housed mutants... And then the government could become involved, and the school might have to be shut down, and Professor Xavier would be so disappointed, and hundreds of mutant teenagers would have nowhere to live... 

And it would be all because of them... 

Jubilee shivered and shook away the thought, reminding herself that if they didn't clean up the mess they'd made, the school and its occupants would be doomed anyway. She and Kitty had done a little bit of researching on demons and hell-spirits the night before, and some of them really weren't the kind you'd like to run into on a dark night... Or a bright day, for that matter.   

"Okay, here we are," Kitty said, sounding ever so slightly nervous. Jubilee figured she was having her fair share of doubts too, but there was no way they were turning back now. 

But when they reached the checkout desk, the girls realized something that should have been obvious. 

Isobel might not be there. 

Instead, an older woman with curly cherry-red hair stood there, neatly sorting away masks. When she noticed the girls, the woman raised her hazel eyes inquiringly at them, and Jubilee cleared her throat nervously. 

"We were, um, looking for Isobel – Isobel Lynde. Do you know where she is?" 

"Yeah, she's at home," the woman said, giving her an odd look. "She took the day off. Is there anything _I _can help you with instead?"

"No, not really – could you just give us her address or something?"

The woman gave them another odd look and pursed her lips. "I'm sorry, we don't give out employee addresses to just anyone," she said curtly. 

_What is this, a bank? _Jubilee tried not to look annoyed as the woman turned away and busied herself with the masks. 

"Excuse me, miss?" Kitty asked, in her most placid, polite tone. The woman half-turned and raised an eyebrow. 

"We're really sorry to bother you, but we really need to know where she is. You see, we're, um... _friends_ of hers –"

" – from school." Jubilee lied quickly. 

"And we had planned a – a study date, and she told us we could meet her here, but since she went home..."

"See, we really need to study for this big test, and we don't know her address, so if you could just give it to us.... I mean, we know she won't mind.." Jubilee didn't really view what they were doing as _lying_, it was just making up a whole lot of stuff. There was a difference, after all. 

"And you couldn't just call her?" The woman asked suspiciously. 

"Her phone is out of order," Jubilee said, with a quick smile to cover up any guilt on her face. 

The woman raised her eyebrows again, but she picked up a pen and a piece of notepaper and scribbled something onto it. "Here's where you can find her," she said, sliding the paper over to Kitty. The two girls nodded, said a quick thank-you and then hurried out of the store, worried that any minute the woman would call them back or, even worse, call the police on them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I'll get it!" Isobel called, to no one in particular, heading towards the front door. Her aunt was upstairs in her bedroom, and there was no one else in the house to hear her. She didn't bother to peer through the little glass hole in the door before jerking it open; she was pretty sure it would be her aunt's colleage, Dan. She was planning on just telling him right out that she had been in the middle of performing a hex; she wanted to see how he'd react if he found out that she was a full-fledged witch.

"Hey, Da –" She stopped. Stared. Cleared her throat. "Oh, sorry. I thought you were someone else." 

Standing there were two girls she recognized clearly – they had come to the store a few days earlier. _What were there names? Kitty and something with J... __Oh, right, Jubilee. ___

Isobel couldn't help wondering what they wanted, but she kept quiet and waited for them to say something. 

"Um, hi." They just stood there, looking slightly awkward and a little embarrassed.

Isobel kept herself from raising her eyebrows and smiled politely. "Hi." 

There was an uncomfortable pause, during which Kitty and Jubilee exchanged a glance. Then Kitty turned and sighed, her face suddenly very serious. 

"Can we come in?" The question surprised Isobel; but Kitty's tone was perfectly polite and only slightly insistent, so she just nodded and held the door open for them. The two girls cast quick glances around them, taking in the pleasantly vanilla-scented hallway with its many ornaments and framed photographs. Isobel led them to the light, airy kitchen and they all sat down in silence. A light breeze fluttered aside the yellow curtains covering the wide windows, revealing the spacious garden outside, filled with bright tulips and the gentle drone of bees. Isobel tucked her hair back and waited for one of the girls to say something. 

Jubilee cleared her throat and half-smiled, apparently about to say something very difficult. "Look, I know we don't know each other all that well..."

"We don't know each other at _all_," Isobel pointed out. She had meant it as a matter of fact, but Jubilee suddenly looked discouraged. "What I mean is," Isobel amended, "we haven't had a real chance to _get _to know each other."  

"Right," Jubilee continued, looking relieved, "but we came to talk to you about something really important." She glanced at Kitty, who gave a tensed half-nod, and suddenly rushed into an explanation. 

"See, we-were-doing-this-History-paper-and-we-found-a-book-of-spells-and-we-tried-one, and-it-really-_worked_, but-then-it-went-wrong-and-we-fixed-it-but-now-we-did-this-wandering-spirit-thingy-and-_it-_worked, too, but-we-didn't-want-it-to-and-now-we-think-the-school's-haunted-because-of-it," Jubilee said, breathlessly – she had been talking at top speed, and Isobel hadn't understood a single word.

"What? What book? Who did a spell? And what's all this about ghosts?" Isobel raised her eyebrows, totally confused by Jubilee's haphazard explanation. "First thing's first – how did you get my address?"

"We asked a clerk at _Nancy's_," Jubilee admitted sheepishly. Isobel just nodded. "I see. And who are you?"

"I'm Kitty – Katherine – Pryde, and Jubilee's actually Jubilation Lee," Kitty explained. "We're both at Xavier's School for Mu ---- for Gifted Youngsters."  

"Okay. And you came to me because...?" Isobel trailed off, waiting for an explanation. 

Kitty sighed and repeated what Jubilee had tried to explain. She did it very calmly, very quietly and with a perfectly serious face; she started with the History paper and finished off with the ghost she had seen in the dorm room. She even included the fact that they were mutants, and explained – or, rather, _tried_ to explain – their abilities; and although she left out the fact that the whole school was full of mutants, she was pretty sure Isobel understood that part.

Isobel sighed and put her head in her hands, trying to take it all in. Then she lifted her face and attempted to work it out in her head. "Okay, the first and major thing you did wrong was cast a spell without reading up on it first, but I think you've pretty much learned your lesson – and secondly, the portal you opened has _got _to be closed, so I sort of understand why you came to me." She was focusing on the magic aspect of it all – the aspect she knew how to handle. The fact that Kitty and Jubilee were mutants didn't matter all that much to her.        

"Does that mean you'll help us?" Jubilee asked, hopefully. 

Isobel titled her head to the side and nodded. "I'll come over and help you sort out the portal, although I'll probably need some sort of permission to get into the school."

"Well, it _is _almost a strictly mutant environment, but maybe ---"

"No," Isobel interrupted, "I think I can handle the mutant part. I'm just worried that the people at the school won't want a stranger around..." 

Jubilee suddenly looked very pleased. "You're a mutant too?"

"Nooo..." Isobel said slowly, with an odd smile, "but I can become one."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Two hours later, Kitty and Jubilee were still listening to Isobel explain the complicated spell she wanted to perform. They found out that she had, indeed, reached master witch level; but, as she put it, "I don't follow that kind of witchcraft." She explained that she was mainly a Wicca practitioner, although she did study druidism, and she didn't believe very much in the level system. "Witchcraft is witchcraft, no matter how you look at it," she said, shaking her head. "It's a completely eclectic way of life, and only contains very few rules. The level system is only one aspect of it – only one of the many choices you can make." As they listened to her talk, the two girls got the impression that they had only scraped the surface of witchcraft, while Isobel had studied it very thoroughly. 

There was time for four rounds of iced lemonade while the three girls went through the stages of the spell that would make Isobel a mutant; they would talk about it, go over it in detail, backtrack, and then go over it again. They discussed the pros and the cons, the assets and the risks, until they all felt rather exhausted with talking. The spell, Isobel explained, would bring out whatever mutant genes – however faint – that were in her system and multiply them, enabling her to become fully mutant. It was only temporary, and would last for about six months: more than long enough for them to close the portal.  

Kitty poked the ice cubes at the bottom of her glass and looked pensive. "It'll be hard, though... Keeping it from everybody. Especially Sam," she added quietly. 

Jubilee just rolled her eyes. "Even if St. John knew, he wouldn't care," she said frankly.  

Isobel just shook her head impatiently. "We can't let _anyone _find out. Not even your boyfriends," – with a sharp look at Kitty. "I need to get in to the school long enough to help you guys out, but that would mean enrolling, and I don't see how I'd be able to without my aunt finding out." 

Jubilee looked surprised. "Your aunt doesn't know that you're a witch?" 

"Of course she knows – she's the one that got me interested in it!" Isobel laughed. "She just doesn't want people to know, that's all. There's no telling what they'd do if they found out..." Her face turned grave. "I know that my aunt would never tell anybody the truth about the school, but I still... I just want to keep her out of this." 

Kitty and Jubilee nodded: they understood perfectly. 

Another hour was spent trying to work out a way to get Isobel out of her house for sixth months and into the school without arousing too much suspicion. The girls swapped several ideas among themselves, but there was always some little glitch – something that didn't fit in – and, after a while, idea after idea was dropped. In the end, there was only one plan left. 

"Most of the students that come to Xavier's are runaways," Kitty stated thoughtfully. "The Professor never asks too many questions, he just accepts them, and nobody else thinks anything of it. But..." she trailed off, as if to say, _"But it wouldn't be very easy for _you_, would it?" _

Isobel stared at the ceiling for a long time, thinking. "I could do it," she said finally. "My aunt was one of those wild eighties flower children – she's always telling me about how she hitch-hiked across the whole country in a van with a couple of friends. I think, in some ways, she wouldn't be all that worried about me – and besides, I could always leave her a note. Tell her I'll be back soon." 

And from there on, it was easy. All they had to do was sort out a few more minor details. 

After they had said goodbye to Isobel, Jubilee and Kitty had a moment's time to reflect on everything that happened to them in the past month or so. In the end, it was Jubilee who summed it up, shaking her head even as she said it. 

"Can our lives _get_ any weirder?"    

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Author's Note: It's taken me _forever_ to update this, but hopefully the seventh chapter will match the standards of the other six. The chapters will probably get shorter from here onwards, but that's because I'm working on multiple projects and want to be able to pay equal attention to all of them. 

As always, reviews are more than welcome :-) 

~Calliope~ (formerly Enigma)


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